Attachment for tabulating machines



p 1942- A. B. COOKE ATTACHMENT FOR TABULATING' MACHINES Original Filed March 29, 1940 naerzfir:

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Patented Apr. 21, 1942 2,280,219 ATTACHMENT FOR TABULATING MACHINES Allen B. Cooke, Danville, Ill., assignor to United Autographic Register 00., a corporation of Illinois Original application March 29, 1940, Serial No. 326,737. Divided and this application January 30, 1941, Serial No. 376,681

10 Claims.

This invention relates to an attachment for a typewriting machine, such as a tabulating machine, to adapt it to the use of continuous-form stationery strips which may be drawn around the power driven rotatable platen roll.

The present application is a division of my application Serial No. 326,737, filed March 29, 1940, for an Attachment for a tabulating machine. r

The p ima y object of the present invention is to provide an improved attachment wherein feeding-units, which may be in the form of endless belt conveyer members, may be readily moved to accommodate various lateral or longitudinal spacings of perforations in the stationery.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved fixture, or cradle, on the attachment so that a feeding-unit may easily be slipped into a position where it is supported by the cradle member and may be locked in position by the driving-shaft which impales the feeding-unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved guide means for holding the stationery inengagement with the feeding units. l

The attachment in the present invention is an improvement over the device shown in Jensen Patent No. 2,130,015, issued September 13, 1938.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a machine embodying the invention; and Figure 2., a plan view perpendicular to the base of the cradle member with the feeding-unit removed.

,In the embodiment illustrated, A designates the main frame of the attachment; B, cradle members; and C, feeding-units which are adapted to be removably supported in the cradle members B.

In the embodiment illustrated the frame A has side plates 3 which are held in spaced relation by means of a pair of square cross bars Ill and a. cross rod H. The side plates are provided with slots 12 adapted to fit on to parts of a standard tabu'lating machine and be held in position by a spring clip (not shown).

A driving-shaft I3 is joumalled in the side plates 9 and is adapted to impale feeding-units C which are held in the cradles B. The shaft 13 iswithdrawable laterally to permit the feeding-units to be detached.

The cradle members B are skeleton channellike members whose side walls are cut away to the accompanying drawing, in

- forwardly.

form upper jaws l4 and lower jaws l5 which open downwardly so that they may receive the cross bars ill of the frame. heads, are threaded to the base of the cradle members so that they may be screwed against the cross bars to hold the device in position thereon. The side walls have upward extensions H and 18 to embrace the side walls of the housing of the feeding-unit. The upper extension 18 is provided with a pair of open ended slots l9 extending upwardly and rearwardly to receive studs provided on the housing of the feedingunit. The lower extensions 11 are provided with open ended slots 20 which extend upwardly and It may be noted that the slots 20 are disposed at right angles to the slots 19, so that in attaching the feeding-unit, it is necessary to engage the studs in the slots It first. The cradle members are also provided with bracing cross bars 2| to make the structure more rigid;

The feeding-units C may be of any desired construction that can be driven by the shaft l3.

In the embodiment illustrated each unit has a housing 22 provided with a'pair of laterally extending studs 23 to engage slots 19 in the cradle member and a pair of lower laterally extending studs 24 to engage slots 20. Within the housing of the feeding-unit is journalled a lower sprocket wheel 25 which is adapted to be impaled by and make a driving connection with the shaft 13. An upper sprocket pulley 26 is journalled in the housing and an endless chain 21 is reefed around the two sprockets. The chain 21 is provided with a suitable number of feeding pins 28 which are adapted to engage spaced holes in continuousform stationery 29 which is drawn from beneath the attachment, around aplaten roll indicated at 30, into engagement with the feeding-units.

A rectangular guide frame is detachably secured to the side walls 9 of the attachment so that it may be snapped into position by means of spring latches 3|. The frame has cross bars 32 and longitudinal standards 33. Longitudinally extending guide members 34 are secured to the cross bars 32 by lugs'35 and serve to hold the stationery in engagement with the feeding mechanism as the stationery advances. A bail-like guide member 35 makes a telescoping connection with a pair of supporting members 31 attached to the side frames 3. This guide is adjustable vertically for different lengths of feeding-units and serves to direct the stationery away from the attachment after it is released by the feedins-units.

Frequently, in using a machine of this charac- Bolts IS, with winged ter, it is desirable to change from stationery of one width to stationery of another width. Obviously, the feeding-units have to be arranged in almost exact spaced relation on the cross bars III in order that the pins will engage the perforations. By using a plurality of cradle members, the cradle members may be very carefully adjusted in proper spaced relation, so that when the feeding-units are installed, they will be in proper position to take care of the lateral spacing of the holes. n the other hand, it is sometimes desirable to change from strips of one form length to strips of another form length. Where only one set of perforations is provided in each form length, it will be understood that different feeding-units C must be installed wherein the pins on the feed belts are spaced to accommodate a particular form length. By using the cradle members this change can be made just as easily and one feeding-unit may be taken out and another replaced by merely withdrawing the drive-shaft l3, lifting the lower end of the housing to disengage the studs 24 from the slots and lifting the feedingunit upwardly. The substituted feeding-unit may be installed by reversing the procedure.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A typewriter attachment having fixed crossbars and a drive-shaft, a cradle member mounted on said cross-bars and means on said cradle mem ber for supporting a feeding-unit, said cradle member comprising a channel-like member havingspaced apart jaws adapted to receive the fixed cross-bars, means for securing said jaws to the cross-bars in a desired position along the lengths of the cross-bars, and slots in the cradle to receive studs on the feeding-unit whereby the feedingunit may be detachably held in said cradle. said drive-shaft being positionable to efiect operative engagement with the feeding-unit.

2. A device as specified in claim 1, in which the jaws of the cradle member open downwardly, and

the securing means comprises winged bolts making threaded engagement with the lower portion of the jaws and projecting against the lower side of a fixed cross bar.

3. A typewriter attachment having fixed crossbars and a drive-shaft, a cradle member having spaced apart jaws adaptedto receive and engage said cross-bars at a desired position along the lengths of the cross-bars, said cradle member also having upwardly extending slots, and a feedingunit having a housing containing a driving sprocket for stationery feeding means, said housing having outwardly extending fixed studs adapted to fit into the slots of the cradle and be held thereby with the sprocket in operative engagement with the feed-shaft.

4. In a device of the character set forth, a cradle member comprising: a channel-like member having a base portion and integral side walls cut away to form notches adapted to receive cross bars on which the member may be supported, said side walls having extensions to embrace a housing of a feeding-unit, the extensions having an upper pair of open ended slots and a lower pair of open ended slots, said slots being adapted for engagement with laterally extending studs on the housing of a feeding-unit.

5. A device as specified in claim 4, in which the upper pair of slots is disposed at substantially right angles to the lower pair of slots so that in attaching a feeding-unit one pair of slots must be fully engaged before the others can be brought into engagement with the studs.

6. In a typewriter attachment having fixed cross bars and an axially withdrawable driveshaft, a cradle mounted on the fixed bars of the attachment, and a feeding-unit adapted to fit into said cradle and be impaled by the drive-shaft of the attachment to effect operative engagement therewith.

7. A device as specified in claim 6, in which the feeding-unit makes a pin-and-slot connection with the cradle and is releasably locked in the cradle by the withdrawable drive-shaft.

8. A typewriter attachment having fixed cross bars and a withdrawable driving-shaft, a cradle member secured to said cross bars, and a feedingunit adapted to fit into said cradle and be impaled by the driving-shaft, said shaft serving to lock said feeding-unit to the cradle.

9. A continuous-form stationery attachment for a tabulating machine having a power driven platen roll, comprising: a frame having a pair of transverse bars, a plurality of cradle members mounted for adjustment longitudinally of said bars, each of said cradle members being a channellike member having a pair of upwardly and rearwardly extending slots at its upper end and a pair 7 of upwardly and forwardly extending slots at its lower end; a feeding-unit having a housing in which is journalled a pair of sprocket wheels encircled by an endless chain, said housing having pairs of upper and lower outwardly extending studs adapted to fit into the slots of a cradle member; and an axially withdrawable driveshaft journalled in said frame and adapted to impale and make a driving connection with the lower sprocket wheel of the feeding-unit when in the cradle.

10. A device as specified in claim 9, including a removable front guide frame to direct stationery against feed pins provided on the conveyer chain.

ALLEN B. COOKE. 

